1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for harvesting of blood vessels and more particularly to an apparatus for separating and removing the sapiens vessel of the leg for use in bypass surgery with minimal tissue trauma.
2. Description of Related Art
Healthy blood vessels are typically harvested to repair damaged vessels in other more critical parts of a human circulatory system. In particular, the sapiens vein is harvested from a patient's leg and utilized in bypass surgery where damaged and blocked arteries of the heart region of the patient are bypassed with the healthy blood vessel harvested.
Typically, the surgeon will harvest an appropriate length of the leg vessel requiring that the vessel be safely separated from side branch vessels and leg tissue, followed by an appropriate dissection of the end of the harvested vessel. In early surgery of this type, incisions were made along the length of the sapiens vessel to be harvested which was then dissected from the surrounding tissue. More modern surgical techniques have been developed and are utilizing a broad variety of vessel harvesting instruments and apparatus which greatly reduce the trauma to the patient. The following U.S. Patents appear to represent at least a substantial portion of this more modern vessel harvesting technology.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,016 to Linda discloses an endoscope apparatus for harvesting blood vessels including an endoscope barrel with a plurality of lumens, a handle disposed at a proximal end of the barrel and at lest one member for dissecting and cauterizing a blood vessel. An invention related to devices and methods for removing veins is taught by Spit in U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,544.
David, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,740 teaches a system and medical device for endoscopically ligating and cutting a body vessel, the improvements including a hinged jaw, an improved delivery system of a ligating clip and a rotating cutting instrument. A surgical instrument comprising an elongated hollow shaft having a longitudinal axis, a lumen, and an optical penetrating tip having a cylindrical portion attached to the distal end of the hollow shaft is taught by Kolata, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,823.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,653 to Evans, et al. discloses methods and devices for harvesting vessels comprising a shaft having a handle mounted on one end and a dissecting tip on the other end. A light source is further optionally included and methods for transilluminating a vessel, dissecting the vessel, transecting the vessel and removing the vessel from the body are disclosed.
A method and apparatus for the minimally invasive harvesting of veins is taught by Ginn, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,313 and devices and methods for minimally invasive harvesting of a vessel are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,866. U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,771 to Bennett, et al. teaches similar devices and methods as Ginn, et al. and we note that these three patents have been assigned to Cardiothoracic Systems, Inc.
U.S. Published Application US2005/0070940 to Genovesi, et al. teaches a method and device for harvesting vessels comprising a cannula-like device including means for identification, capture, manipulation, hemostasis and cleavage of branch vessels. That published application is a continuation application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,003 directed to a method and device for harvesting vessels. The harvesting cannula is configured as an elongated, hollow tube and comprised of three sections: a harvesting head, a tubular control segment and a sliding operation arm.
Another published application to Hess, et al., US 2003/0065348 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,176, disclose endoscope vessel harvesting devices and methods. The method comprises locating the vessel, inserting the device through an incision, dissecting the vessel from the surrounding tissue and capturing vessels. The device comprises a headpiece having electrodes for ligation, a shaft having a lumen, and a vessel capturing means.
Other published applications and issued patents are known to applicant as follows:                U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,786 to Davis, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,892 to Guido, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,708 to Higuma, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,685 to Suzuki, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,514 to Chin        U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,291 to Pirvitera, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,335 to Vaitekunas, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,635 to Moutafis, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,028 to Yoon, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,659 to Ahmed        U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,005 to Yoon, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,535 to Lamport, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,402 to Peifer, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,551 to Peifer, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,101 to Peifer, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,578 to Peifer, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,713 to Ahmed        U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,072 to Christy, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,228 to Fortier, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,542 to Wild        U.S. Publ. US2004/0122458 to Opie, et al.        U.S. Publ. US2005/0004586 to Suval        U.S. Publ. US2004/0204725 to Bayer        U.S. Publ. US2005/0096677 to Wellman, et al.        